In the beginning of the month, I had the opportunity to attend the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) National Institute in Buffalo, New York! The conference brought together library professionals to share ideas, explore new approaches to serving children, teens, and families, and discuss the ways libraries can continue to grow and adapt to their communities.
Across the sessions I attended, several themes stood out: building meaningful relationships with young readers, creating more accessible and inclusive library spaces, supporting literacy in creative ways, and finding practical ideas that can be adapted to fit libraries of different sizes and budgets. Here are a few of my biggest takeaways!
Building Bridges Through Relationships and Representation
One of the most impactful sessions I attended was Building Bridges: Culturally Responsive School and Public Library Practices for Young Black Male Readers. This session challenged attendees to think beyond traditional approaches to encouraging reading and consider how our spaces, policies, collections, and relationships affect young black male readers.
One of the most memorable messages was that reading is a relationship first. Supporting young readers means learning their interests, remembering what they enjoy (and what they avoid), following up on recommendations, and giving them opportunities to make their own choices. Rather than starting with the book, we can start with what a child or teen loves and connect that interest to reading.
The presenters also encouraged us to think about representation throughout our libraries. Who is pictured on our walls? Who is working in our buildings? What can children touch and explore? Do our spaces communicate that everyone belongs? Even something as simple as making a library card sign-up feel like a rite of passage can help children feel welcomed and valued.
The session highlighted five important elements that help young readers thrive: a person who notices them, choice and ownership, a mirror in which they can see themselves, a place to belong, and consistency. These don’t necessarily require additional funding or new programs. They require intentionality, time, and relationships.
Another important takeaway was the need to examine policies that may unintentionally create barriers. As the presenter emphasized, if a policy would end a relationship, we should consider changing the policy rather than losing the opportunity to connect with a child.
My biggest takeaway: Relationships before rules. When children feel seen, known, and welcomed, we have a stronger foundation for helping them discover the joy of reading.
Making Reading Fun: Graphic Novels, Humor, and Literacy
The session Just in Time for Halloween: Humorous Graphic Novels for Children and Tweens explored the appeal of books that combine a little bit of scary with a little bit of funny. This combination gives children a safe way to explore strong emotions, develop their sense of humor, and enjoy reading for pleasure.
Graphic novels are also valuable literacy tools. Readers use both text and illustrations to understand a story, draw conclusions, and build vocabulary through context clues. Graphic novels can support English language learners and readers with disabilities while helping children develop visual literacy skills and discover a medium they may enjoy throughout their lives.
This session was a great reminder that reading doesn’t have to look one particular way. Comics, graphic novels, humorous stories, and spooky books all offer opportunities for children to build skills while having fun. When we help children find books they genuinely enjoy, we support the development of lifelong readers.
Moving Beyond Compliance: Building Accessible Libraries
Accessibility was another major theme of the conference. In Beyond Compliance: How Community Partnerships Drive Meaningful Library Accessibility, presenters encouraged us to think about accessibility as something that goes beyond meeting minimum requirements. The goal is to create spaces and experiences where people with disabilities can participate, feel welcome, and engage with their communities.
The session highlighted barriers that can be easy to overlook, including inaccessible service points, high tables that don’t accommodate wheelchair users, a lack of adult changing stations, limited developmentally appropriate book guidance, and programs that don’t account for different sensory needs.
Fortunately, many improvements can be practical and relatively simple. Ideas included creating sensory bags with items such as wooden puzzles, notebooks, and pens; offering quiet spaces or play tents; using scarves to soften bright lighting; providing communication boards; and projecting books onto larger screens during read-alouds. Libraries can also explore adaptive programming, accessible handouts, microphones, and clearer information about accommodations in program descriptions.
One particularly important reminder was the principle of “nothing about us without us.” Building meaningful accessibility means listening to people with disabilities, asking how individuals want to be referred to, and involving community members in decisions that affect them.
Partnerships are also essential. Schools, special education programs, therapy centers, specialized schools, and other community organizations can help libraries better understand local needs and connect with families who may not yet see the library as a resource for them.
The presenters emphasized that successful accessibility initiatives take time. Programs may need a year or more to grow, and consistency helps build trust with families and community partners.
For additional ideas, check out the Beyond Compliance Resource List and this AAC Communication Board resource.
My biggest takeaway: Accessibility isn’t a one-time checklist. It’s an ongoing commitment to listening, adapting, and making sure our libraries work for the people we serve.
Creative Programming That Can Grow With Your Library
I also attended Scalable STEAM Programs, which offered ideas for bringing science, technology, engineering, art, and math into library programming. Examples included gravity art, dinosaur paleontology puzzles, candy spines, owl pellets, animal tracks, stargazing activities, and STEAM inventions.
I appreciated the variety of possibilities because STEAM programming doesn’t have to be complicated to be engaging. Activities can be adapted to different age groups, available materials, staffing levels, and budgets. A simple hands-on activity can encourage children to experiment, ask questions, solve problems, and learn through play.
This session was a helpful reminder to keep experimenting with new program ideas and to look for ways to build curiosity and creativity into the activities we already offer.
Bringing It All Back to Our Libraries
My biggest takeaway from the 2026 ALSC National Institute is that meaningful change doesn’t always require a new program, a large budget, or a major renovation. Sometimes it starts with a conversation, a thoughtful book recommendation, a small accessibility improvement, or a policy that we are willing to reconsider.
We can help children become lifelong readers by building relationships, offering meaningful choices, and creating spaces where they see themselves reflected. We can make our programs more welcoming by listening to families and community members and adapting to their needs. And we can continue learning from one another as we explore new approaches to serving children and caregivers.
I’m returning from Buffalo with plenty of ideas to explore, new perspectives to consider, and a renewed appreciation for the creativity and dedication of the library community. I’m excited to think about how these ideas can inform our work and help us continue making the library a place where every child can feel welcome, supported, and inspired to learn.
(For additional information from the 2026 National Institute, check out these blog posts.)
Today’s blogger is Tanya Prax. Tanya is a Youth Services Librarian at Arapahoe Libraries in Denver, Colorado. Her favorite things about her job (if she had to pick) are a family cooking program and booktalking to kids at schools. Tanya wrote this piece as a member of the Library Services to Underserved Children and their Caregivers committee.
The post 2026 ALSC National Institute Recap: Connecting, Creating, and Making Space for Every Reader appeared first on ALSC Blog.
Discover more from DrWeb's Domain
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
